Jared Polis

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 307 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. POLIS. I am the last speaker for my side, so I will reserve my time until the gentlelady has closed for her side and yielded back her time.

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of the gentlelady if she has any remaining speakers.

Mr. POLIS. No. Let me finish my statement. Opponents ask kids to make grave health-related choices with incomplete information and hold these kids responsible for childhood mistakes as they would a fully aware adult. When 80 percent of kids smoke the most heavily advertised brands, we can't help but infer that the ads influence the children. Big Tobacco claims they don't market to kids. Yet, they continue to do a pretty good job of getting kids to use their product. This has got to change. This legislation will require that tobacco products marketed as safer than other tobacco products are in fact demonstrated to be safer with scientific proof. By providing the Health and Human Services Secretary with authority to regulate tobacco product standards and product testing based on scientific evidence, this legislation will promote and protect the Nation's public health. Far too long we have not followed doctor's orders, so to speak, with regard to tobacco use. Science tells us a great deal about the causes of disease and the risk of certain behavior. This legislation puts those scientific findings at the forefront of policymaking by the Department of Health and Human Service. The bill also promotes public health by requiring the Health and Human Services Secretary to consider placing tobacco replacement products on a fast track FDA approval process. If we want Americans to stop smoking, we must provide them the help they need to kick the habit. By creating the special category of small tobacco manufacturers, the bill ensures that small businesses have the assistance they need for the FDA to comply with the new regulations. Supported by over 1,000 health and faith groups from across the country, this bill preserves States rights by not preempting State tobacco laws. It's extremely important to respect that many States, including my home State of Colorado, already recognizes the danger of smoking and the role regulation can play in keeping cigarettes out of the hands of kids. My home State of Colorado is recognized as a national leader in tobacco control, demonstrated by our leadership in enacting a comprehensive smoke-free law that includes casinos and increasing our State tobacco tax to fund health programs. Even with this legislation in place, health care costs in Colorado caused by smoking every year is over $1.3 billion. Nearly 15 percent of Colorado high school students still smoke. Nearly 6,000 kids in Colorado start smoking every day. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Reclaiming my time, we can find that out from the gentleman. I would read a number of groups that are backing the Waxman bill, including the American Lung Association, the American Association of Respiratory Care, the American College of Preventative Medicine, the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Lung Cancer Alliance, the Oncology Nursing Society, and Oral Health America, among many others.

Mr. POLIS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 307 provides a structured rule for the consideration of H.R. 1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The rule makes in order a substitute amendment, if offered, by Representative Buyer of Indiana or his designee. I rise in support of House Resolution 307, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. I thank Chairman Waxman and my colleagues who serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their leadership in this bipartisan effort. This legislation, which passed this House by a margin of more than 3- 1 last July, would at long last give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, the authority to regulate tobacco products and to take additional critical steps to protect the public health. The bill prevents the tobacco industry from designing products that entice young people. It develops programs that help adult smokers quit, and it funds the efforts through fees to tobacco manufacturers. America's youth face intense pressure every day from friends, fancy advertisements and irresponsible adults to make bad decisions that will affect their long-term health. A 2006 study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that 90 percent of all adult smokers began while they were in their teens or earlier and that two-thirds became regular daily smokers before they reached the age of 19. A shocking number of American children are at least casual smokers before they can even drive a car. As a cosponsor of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, I am strongly committed to seeing this figure drastically reduced. Congress must work to help make our children's lives safer and their choices easier. This bill bans flavored cigarettes with names like Mocha Taboo, Midnight Berry and Warm Winter Toffee that clearly attract children as consumers. The history of low-tar cigarettes illustrates the grave danger to public health that's caused by fooling consumers into believing unsubstantiated claims that one kind of cigarette is safer than another. Millions of Americans switched to low-tar cigarettes, believing they were reducing their risk of lung cancer substantially. Many were convinced to switch instead of to quit. It wasn't until decades later that we learned through many deaths that those low-tar cigarettes were just as dangerous as full-tar cigarettes. Under this legislation, which simply empowers the FDA to regulate tobacco products, we will not have to wait until the deaths of millions of more Americans to learn whether a so-called ``safer'' cigarette is what it claims to be. The bottom line is we have an interest in making sure our constituents know the facts, all of them, before making potentially deadly choices. Americans must also be aware of the dramatic health risks associated with smokeless tobacco. Many believe that chewing tobacco and snuff are safe alternatives to smoking cigarettes. That's wrong. This bill would require warning labels that indicate that smokeless tobacco causes mouth and gum cancer, serious oral diseases, and tooth loss. A study by Brown University reveals that just a few weeks of chewing tobacco can develop leukoplakia of the cheek and gums, which is the formation of leather patches of diseased tissue on the mouth. The American Dental Association strongly supports this legislation, and calls tobacco use the number one cause of preventable disease in the United States. It should be a no-brainer to responsibly regulate such a dangerous product. And the FDA, the only agency charged with food and drug safety, is a logical Federal agency to place with this great and important responsibility. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material into the Record.

Mr. POLIS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. POLIS. I would remind the gentleman that the FDA is the primary agency charged with food and drug safety and, as such, to ensure the safety of our Nation's food supply and safety of our Nation's drug supply is the logical place at which to reside the regulation of tobacco products. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk to the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act.

Mr. POLIS. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and his staff for their leadership on an intelligent and important bill that will do a world of good work for districts like mine in the West and other districts across the country where people live, work and play in and around our public lands. With the establishment of the FLAME Fund, our Nation's land management agencies are freed from the overbearing costs of fighting wildfires and once again will be able to focus their efforts on the local communities and public land users they were created to serve, as well as fire prevention. This bill also, finally, guarantees that a cohesive wildfire management strategy is completed and put into place, a strategy that is long overdue and the absence of which has already damaged wildfire suppression efforts across our country. Mr. Chairman, this vital cohesive plan, which has been called for time and time again by the General Accountability Office, is kept up- to-date and remains an effective tool as years go by. My district in Colorado is a prime example of why we need an ever- evolving fire management plan. We have been hit hard by the mountain pine beetle infestation, an epidemic that has killed millions of acres of trees, turning the area into a potential powder keg for fire risk, and brought the threat of wildfires into our backyards in ways that we could not have predicted prior to the outbreak. Over the past 10 years, the outbreak has spread to more and more areas and is now hitting newer species of pine. Climate modeling predicts that a large change in the frequency of precipitation and the intensity of droughts in the area could only add increasing wildfire risks. My district is already experiencing the effects of climate change, and any national wildfire plan needs to change in step with our environment. My amendment ensures that the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture work to continually update the cohesive fire management plan by requiring that they provide a revised plan at least once every 5 years that takes into account community needs and our changing climate. We owe it to our brave firefighters and the efficiency-minded taxpayers to ensure that this fundamental part of wildfire management policy stays up-to-date and doesn't let our communities fall by the way side. Mr. Chair, this amendment and this bill are vitally important to ensuring responsible national wildfire policy. I urge passage of the amendment and the underlying bill. I yield to the gentleman from West Virginia.

Mr. POLIS. I yield back the balance of my time and ask for approval of the amendment.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. In addition to the energy production side, there are also good jobs in the energy conservation side, when we are talking about weatherization, when we are talking about reducing our energy consumption. There are two parts of the equation for carbon emission reduction and they are both equally as valid. There are a lot of great jobs in that area, too. So when we are talking about cap-and-trade, the American people should hear win-win. The American people should hear this is the solution to global climate change. The American people should hear, this is a solution to a whole host of national security issues and our reliance on foreign oil that weakens our country, and this is the solution to getting our economy going again and creating good jobs. When Representative Inslee was here, he addressed all of the objections that I heard. Have you heard any other objections, Representative Tonko?

Mr. POLIS. They are valid points, where people say our farmers need to be part of it, absolutely. Representative Inslee is right. Our farmers need to have a stake in reducing carbon emissions. It makes economic sense for them. Our farmers have the most to lose. Those who derive their living from the weather, from the grace of God, the sun and the rain, have the most to lose with regard to global climate change. I rank our farmers high in that category. And absolutely, they should have an incentive to be part of that solution. The money should stay within the system. We should address the market protection and make sure this isn't just a giveaway to big business or any kind of business. All of those concerns have been looked at. And what we have before us, and what we are talking about, and, of course, we are still in the process of formulating it, is going to be a huge win for our country. This is probably going to be one of the most important bills that we can pass. It is not just this bill. As Representative Tonko also mentioned, this goes across all different areas. Representative Tonko and I both happen to be on the Education and Labor Committee. When we are talking about job training for adults, when we are talking about vocational programs in our schools for kids, that is part of it, too. There is a tax component. There is a subsidy component. There is an international component to this because, of course, we need to use diplomacy to get other countries to be a part of our reducing our carbon emissions. America has been a global laggard this last decade, hasn't it, Representative Tonko?

Mr. POLIS. And we have the opportunity to be a leader.

Mr. POLIS. Well, thank you, Representative Tonko. And Representative Inslee had some tremendous comments. I just want to address one more misconception that's out there. Representative Tonko, when he mentioned storage and batteries, got me thinking. I hear the naysayers say oh, the carbon footprint of creating these batteries is more than the carbon that's saved by using them. Well, through a cap-and-trade system, all of that is taken into account. If you're using carbon to create the batteries, then you don't have any net carbon savings, and that's reflected in the pricing. This creates a market mechanism that takes that into account. They're looking at compressed air. They're looking at elevation, they're looking at a variety of techniques for energy conservation and together we can make it happen.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Omnibus Public Lands bill under consideration, as well as the rule. This bipartisan and bicameral effort has taken a lot of work, and it has been a long and twisting road. But we have before us today a widely supported piece of legislation that benefits our Nation from Florida to Alaska, Texas to Minnesota, and, indeed, my district in Colorado. I was lucky enough to grow up in Boulder, Colorado, hiking in Mount Sanitas, the Flat Irons, and Flagstaff Mountain--all areas under public management. This bill will protect and defend some of America's truly great public lands so that children all across the country can grow up enjoying our environment and interacting with our ecosystems, just like I did when I was a kid. It will also finally give Rocky Mountain National Park, a prized jewel in Colorado, the wilderness designation it deserves. The Rockies, rising high above Denver and our surrounding communities, are visited by local residents and international adventurers who come to be surrounded by our awe-inspiring landscapes and diverse ecosystem. These visitors sustain Colorado communities like Estes Park and Grand Lake, communities that rely on tourism and recreation jobs, and will be well served by this bill. Furthermore, the National Landscape Conservation System, the wild and scenic rivers and national heritage areas that this bill codifies, will enrich our country many times over. Just as Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness have enriched the culture and history of Colorado, the National Landscape Conservation System will enrich our country. This bill's passage is long overdue. It will preserve landscapes, educate generations, enrich lives and support local communities. We have addressed any reasonable concerns that have been posed, and at long last it is time for this bill to become law. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important piece of legislation. I thank Chairman Rahall for his leadership on this bill, Representative Pingree for her leadership on the rule, and I look forward to sending this bill to the President.

Mr. POLIS

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Washington had three amendments that were ruled in order of the several he submitted before the Rules Committee, and those, of course, will be given consideration. There are also two amendments that directly relate to our friends, the invasive species in this case, dendroctonus ponderosae, and other species in other areas.

Mr. POLIS. Yes.

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 281 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my colleague on the Rules Committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Mr. POLIS. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials.

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 281 provides for consideration of H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance Management and Enhancement, or FLAME, Act under a structured rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate controlled by the Committee on Natural Resources. The rule makes in order 13 amendments, which are listed on the Rules Committee report accompanying the resolution. Each amendment is debatable for 10 minutes. The rule also provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. All Members were given an opportunity to submit amendments to the Rules Committee on the bill, and a number of Members on both sides of the aisle did so: 21 amendments were submitted to the Rules Committee on this bill; two amendments were subsequently withdrawn; and three amendments were nongermane to the underlying bill. Of the remaining 16, 13 were made in order, five of those from Republican sponsors. This was a very fair rule and a very fair process. My district and the State of Colorado are tied closely to the lands and landscapes that our citizens interact with on a daily basis. These landscapes are majestic and rugged, and define the character of Colorado. The FLAME Act ends a cycle of growing costs for fighting wildfires. These costs are draining the coffers of our Federal land management agencies. The character of our wilderness is being tested every summer when districts like mine and many others face the threat of wildfires, and anxiety grows in the minds of mountain residents and local communities. This anxiety has grown in recent years due to the health of forests, which has worsened. Mr. Speaker, the FLAME Act is a bill of personal interest to me and the residents of Colorado. My district, like many Western districts, is dealing with a mountain pine beetle outbreak of catastrophic proportions. This outbreak has killed millions of acres of lodgepole pines, altering the landscape, and has put more Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho communities at risk of wildfire. I bring your attention to this picture. This is some land in my district in Grand County near Granby, Colorado. My district has many tourists coming through it; and I have Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Winter Park. Recently, I had somebody who came through in July and noticed that many of our trees were red and said, ``Fall comes early in Colorado.'' I had to respond that, ``No, it is not fall. Our trees are dying.'' This is a typical landscape across many parts of the Mountain West of Colorado. The red trees are actually dead or in the process of dying, having been felled by the pine beetle. The danger is that when we have a forest of dead trees, it is in effect a tinderbox and is a major forest fire risk. This bill includes amendments in the underlying language that free up resources to help address the underlying causes of forest fires rather than just after the fact dealing with emergencies. The culprit in this particular case, the mountain pine beetle, a small little fellow, dendroctonus ponderosae. I have some here, life- size. Again, not just affecting Colorado, but affecting many areas of our Mountain West; and, in addition to the devastation of our forests, visually and ecologically, creating a very real risk of forest fires, which this bill gives us the ability to begin to address. Our land management agencies are working quickly to reduce the potential fire risks where communities and wildlands come face to face. These wildland-urban interface zones, or WUI zones, are critical in decreasing the number and threat of catastrophic wildfires. But our agencies simply don't have the resources to effectively respond to the risk or the increased risk because of the changes. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have multiple environmentally friendly projects simply waiting to be funded. Fire suppression costs have increased with alarming speed in recent years. In 2008, fire suppression costs consumed 46 percent of the Forest Service's budget compared to 13 percent in 1991. The account established in the FLAME Act frees up capital and resources for needed and lasting forest health improvements. Mr. Speaker, the beetle epidemic in the West puts Coloradans on the front lines of changing climate, which only further strains our national land management budgets. Across the Nation, climate and weather modeling shows our future to be growing both drier and hotter. These models point to extreme intense thunderstorms with insufficient quantities of rain. Our communities deserve a land management policy that not only reflects crucial priorities, but is unimpeded by the costs of frequent and overwhelming fires and the crises that arise from time to time. Our policy needs to make sure that, as these fires grow in scope and number, we are not forced to make hard choices between money and safety, between dealing with catastrophes and preventing them from occurring. This is exactly what this legislation is designed to do. The FLAME Act addresses the anxiety of our communities by removing hurdles that currently restrict the Forest Service and BLM's ability to proceed with projects. By establishing the FLAME fund, this bill separates the increasing costs of fighting fires from the annual budget that agencies rely on for maintenance and mitigation. This bill keeps the critical budget of--our Forest Service from being consumed by potentially just one or two major wildfires each year. Mr. Speaker, this bill has gained the support of every environmentally conscious constituency, from land management agencies to environmental and community leaders to local governments. It has garnered bipartisan support, as reported out of the Natural Resources Committee in the 110th Congress by a voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate the importance and the critical nature of this legislation to thousands of communities like mine across the Nation and to millions of acres of our public lands. This is an excellent opportunity to provide necessary resources to our Forest Service and BLM so they can do the work that they are meant to do, and prevent forest fires from occurring. I urge passage of the bill and the rule. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIS. Reclaiming my time, of all individuals, those who have served on the Rules Committee are well aware of the functions of that committee and have, in fact, in previous sessions of Congress undertaken even more severe restrictions on a number of bills. Again, with regard to allowing 13 of the 16 amendments that were germane I think is an excellent example of the Rules Committee not only doing their job but actually working to improve the bill. Our land management agencies shouldn't have to choose between fighting fires and preventing them or preparing our communities or promoting healthier forests. Our agencies should be given the tools that allow them to fulfill their mission statements, protecting our forests and serving our communities. The FLAME Act addresses these problems by providing a source of emergency funds to suppress severe fires that pose a threat to life and property. It ensures that during fire-fighting seasons when the agencies' budgeted fire suppression funds are exhausted, they won't be forced to cut other vital projects, indeed prevention-related and forest health-related projects as a result. I would like to reserve the balance of my time.